Nielsen Fandom Index Shows Power Of Radio In NFL Markets.

While other research has measured only the strength of NFL radio broadcasts in team markets – such as Scarborough’s 2025 study identifying those where game coverage outperformed morning and afternoon drive, and where NFL team flagships ranked first in cume – Nielsen Scarborough has gone the extra mile, using multiple metrics to rank NFL markets with the strongest fanbases in its first “NFL Fandom Index.”

According to Nielsen’s news release, the methodology for its ranking is based on eight metrics it says “capture the full spectrum of modern fandom.” In addition to radio listenership and linear TV viewership, the index also takes into account social media engagement, streaming habits, live event attendance, betting intent, team apparel purchases and general interest levels.

Based on the initial ranking, the five NFL markets with the most passionate fans are Buffalo (Bills), Kansas City (Chiefs), Green Bay/Appleton (Packers), Cincinnati (Bengals) and Philadelphia (Eagles), suggesting, Nielsen says, “America’s most avid fans are often found in the heart of its mid-sized legacy markets.”

Nielsen’s report points out a “small market, concentrated loyalty” pattern dominating the top 10 markets, noting that all four legacy markets in the NFL’s AFC North division – Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cleveland/Akron – finish in the top 10, forming a “high-intensity cluster.” For all four, Nielsen says, their strength is mostly driven by factors such as local radio, TV and live-event attendance, as opposed to betting or streaming.

Specific to radio listenership, in addition to the top three NFL markets – Buffalo, Kansas City and Green Bay – others indexing highest for listening to games on radio include Cleveland, Cincinnati, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Pittsburgh. For broadcast and cable viewership, indexing highest are again the top three, along with Cincinnati, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh.

When it comes to live event attendance, those six markets plus Baltimore index the highest. As Nielsen notes, “These are one-team markets with strong local identity and fewer competing entertainment options — a combination that inflates per-capita engagement well beyond what market size alone would predict.”

In terms of specialized digital behaviors, Indianapolis ranks high for social media-related NFL team activity, while Denver and Jacksonville skew significantly toward streaming, in either case suggesting younger or more digitally-native fan bases. As for merchandise, both Detroit and Green Bay are top-five ranked in apparel purchases, with the former, Nielsen says, “riding the momentum of the Lions’ recent on-field success,” and the latter “drawing on generations of Packers fan culture that has made the Green and Gold a wardrobe staple well beyond Wisconsin.”

Meanwhile, Cincinnati and Philadelphia, ranked fourth and fifth, score high everywhere while not dominating any single behavior. “That breadth, rather than any one standout behavior, is what pushes the two cities well ahead of markets that post a single eye-catching number but little consistency elsewhere,” Nielsen says.

Which NFL markets underperform? New York, Los Angeles and Miami rank at the bottom. “In these saturated markets, a wealth of entertainment options and split team loyalties often dilute per-capita intensity, leaving New York at the very bottom of the index,” Nielsen says.

The key takeaway, according to Nielsen? “Whether through generational loyalty in Green Bay, digital engagement in Denver, or the broad-based intensity of Philadelphia and Cincinnati, the Nielsen Scarborough NFL Fandom Index proves that while the NFL is a global powerhouse, its true strength lies in its local cultural footprint.”